A Chamber 50 Years Ago
by Shirah1
Summary: This story takes some information from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and creates a story 50 years before the second book in the series took place.
1. The Incident

"John… John!" shouted Slughorn.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Nothing, you just seemed awfully distracted," Slughorn replied. There was a silence between the two as they exchanged questioning expressions. Not a moment later, the bell rang.

"Don't forget to finish reading the chapter on Living Death in your potions books. Remember to study for your test." Slughorn eyed John carefully as he packed up his books. "John, would you mind staying a few minutes after dinner in my study?"

"Err.. Not at all, Professor." John strolled out of his potions class to dinner.

"Looks like you've gotten yourself into detention."

"Shut up, Riddle." Tom laughed for a few seconds more, then left. John glared at Tom as he sat at the Slytherin table.

"Don't let him bother you too much," his sister, Jane said. "Come on." She motioned her hand for him to follow, then turned around and walked to the Gryffindor table. After glaring at Tom for about five more seconds, he took his seat by his Jane and started to nibble at his plate full of sliced carrots. While John ate his food Jane eyed him suspiciously. "Why are you acting so strange?"

"I don't know. Something seems fishy in Slytherin, especially Riddle." Students along the Slytherin table were whispering and giggling.

"Your just paranoid. Oh, and by the way, Slytherin has always been weird. It's just a fact of nature. I thought you'd be able to understand that after six years, though," explained Daron. "For example," he pointed to Devin Lemone`, a second year who smelled his food before eating it. Devin told everyone it was to "check for food poisoning," but everyone knew that that reason was bogus.

There was a small screeching sound that kept rising and fading. "I'm going to check something out," said John as he stood up from his seat. He was about to sprint when Jane grabbed his cloak. They exchanged glances and Jane sighed. She released her hold on John, and sure enough, he sprinted through the hallways. He heard the screaming from the girls' bathroom. The screaming suddenly stopped. There were voices of teachers, so John hid behind a large vase. "I will tell the students," Dumbledore announced.

Dumbledore rushed through the cafeteria to the podium. "Students." Dumbledore's mighty voice boomed through the hallways. The chattering silenced. "There has been a deadly attack in Hogwarts. Catherine Lane has been gravely injured." There were some cries from the Hufflepuff table. "Prefects will lead the students to their dormitories immediately. The room started to buzz with chatter.

Lines of student raced through the hallways as their prefects tried to settle them down. Daron was having trouble keeping a few of the children quiet. Thomas Lauron, a third year with unbelievably bright, red hair, and was chewing a piece of chameleon bubble gum. His face was changing into every color of the rainbow, and every time it turned green he would spit it onto the child that was next in line. Daron turned to Jane, "Sometimes I ask myself if that kid should be in Gryffindor."

"Sometimes I ask myself if he should be in Madam Pomfrey's," Jane replied. Daron and Jane broke out into laughter, then suddenly Daron stopped. Jane looked confused at first, but eventually something caught her eye also. "Hey, is that John?" John tried to keep himself hidden behind the vase, but Jane and Daron were convinced he was there. He was preparing to run in the other direction, but Jane was to quick. She grabbed his cloak and wouldn't let go. "What are you doing?" she asked John.

"Hide-and-Seek," John answered sarcastically.

Jane acted as if he didn't say anything. "You're going to get points taken from Gryffindor."

"I don't think that is the main concern right now.

"Then what is it?"

"There was an attack, not even five minutes ago. Someone has to find out who the attacker is."

"You cannot possibly be serious. That is the teachers' job. The main concern for the students is to get back to our dormitories safely. "

"Fine."

Daron and Jane lead the students while John tailed the line. Several times he tried to escape, but Jane always caught him before he could. He thought of the perfect excuse. "I have to go to Professor Slughorn's study," John remembered

Jane didn't trust him, but she didn't stop him. He sprinted through the hallways to Slughorn's study. He knocked on the door, but nobody answered. He knocked a little harder and this time his Professor opened the door. He seemed to have been talking with Dumbledore. "You really picked a terrible time to come," Slughorn said.

"I didn't know you'd be expecting someone, Horace. Please don't let me get in the way of your… talk with your student," said Dumbledore.

"Thank you, sir," Slughorn replied. Dumbledore gracefully walked out of the classroom, his long, white beard swinging from side to side.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" John said.

"Oh, yes. I would like to have a talk with you. Please feel free to sit down at my table." He motioned John to a wooden, circular table with two chairs. John sat down and took a deep breath, wondering what would happen next.


	2. With a Professor

John's anxiety caused his hands to twitch and his mind to go blank. He watched his Professor walk about the room, tidying everything and picking up his papers. "Sir, am I in-in detention?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to talk with you." Slughorn continued cleaning his papers off his desk. There was silence between them and John was growing more nervous by the second. "Would you like some butterbeer, dear child?"

"Y-y-yes, sir, of course." Slughorn took out a bottle from a cabinet and set it on the table.

"Drink up." John kept still. "Go on, it's not poisoned." When John reached out to grab it, he missed the bottle, but instead grabbed the air. Once he made the effort to focus, he got a hold on the bottle and sipped the butterbeer.

After a few minutes, John came to his senses. "Professor Slughorn, I hope you don't mind me asking, why did you ask me to come here?"

"You see, you've been acting rather odd in class lately; I was wondering what has been on your mind?"

John took a deep breath. "I've been having a little trouble focusing lately."

"I've noticed." John stood up and walked to the door. "You can't be leaving yet? We haven't even started our conversation."

"My friends will start to wonder where I've been."

"Well, you can tell them when you get back."

John sighed, but didn't dare argue.

"So, why haven't you been focusing?" Slughorn was dusting his cabinet. "I have noticed a rather steep decrease in your grade. If you continue at this rate, your grade will drop from an 'Outstanding' to an 'Acceptable.'" There was a silence as John began to consider what excuse he would tell his teacher or if he would respond truthfully.

"I've been depressed since my owl has died." John closed his eyes and hoped his professor would believe him. His excuse was obviously untrue, for he owned a cat, not an owl.

"Ahhh, I am very sorry. Your owl was the bark colored one, wasn't he?"

"Err, yes, sir." Slughorn looked triumphant as he believed he was a trustworthy friend of John for him to have told him the truth.

"Well, thank you for telling me. This has been an enjoyable talk, but you'll have to excuse me; I need to do some paperwork." Slughorn flicked his wand, and his signature was placed on a paper laying on his desk.

"Of course, professor," John replied. John walked out of his professor's classroom to the Boys' Dormitory.


End file.
